Heather Hansen's Blog, page 4
December 16, 2015
Yosemite sublime in winter
Four years of California droughthadreducedmost waterfalls in Yosemite to a trickle rather than a torrent.But recent rain and snowfall have resurrectedthe sleeping giants. They are just one of the many reasons to take a pilgrimage to the lesser-seen winter Yosemite.
I’ve been lucky enough to be in the parkin three seasons but have long daydreamed of seeing it in winter when quiet replaces bustling,meditation displacesmission, andsolitude sends crowds packing. When dustedwith fresh powderotherw...
December 2, 2015
National parks fee-free for 16 days in 2016
All national parks willwaive their entrance feeson 16 special days in 2016.
The 16 entrance fee-free days for 2016 are:
January 18 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day April 16 through 24 – National Park Week August 25 through 28 – National Park Service Birthday (and following weekend) September 24 – National Public Lands Day November 11 – Veterans Day“Fee-free days provide an extra incentive to visit a national park, especially during next year’s centennial celebration,” said National Park Servi...
This couple rocks
Elizabeth and Cole Donelson from Kansas City, Missouri are in the midst of an epic challenge: to visit all 59 national parks by the NPS centennial on August 25, 2016.
There are a lot of stories like this one cropping up around the NPS’ 100th birthday but what’s different about this dynamic duo is that they are in their mid-twenties, far youngerthanthe average 50-something national park-goer. They call themselves the “Switchback Kids” and they are chroniclingtheir adventures on-line (don’t mis...
November 20, 2015
Acadia’s growth small but significant
Acadia National Parkofficiallyannexed 1,441 acres on the Schoodic Peninsula this week. While it seems like a small gain, it is an important one. The addition is to the only part of the park that is on the mainland.
Along the windswept coast the views from rocky beaches and granite headlands are transcendent. Further inland, hiking trails wind through pine woodlands and spruce-fir forests.While its look is similar to Mount Desert Island, it has a more secluded feel.
The 1,400-acre parcel was d...
U.S. and Cuba join forces to protect marine areas
This week marked a watershed in international cooperation in marine conservation.
The National Park Service (NPS) andNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has partnered withCuba’s Ministry of Science, Technology, and Environment to foster understanding and conservation of natural marine resources in both nations.
They plan to share technical and scientific data related to Marine Protected Areas and to promote education and outreach initiatives.
Learn more about the parks invo...
November 12, 2015
On a mission in the Southwest
Whether you’re planning an actual road trip or just daydreaming at your desk, the National Park Service has dozens of fun travel itineraries to peruse.
Justreleased is the“Spanish Colonial Missions of the Southwest” tour taking inlocales inNew Mexico, Arizona and Texas. Itincorporates stops along some National Historic Trails, some within the National Park System, and other spotslisted on the National Register of Historic Places.
From the early 17th century,and 200 years on, religious mission...
November 11, 2015
Telling the atomic bomb story
The National Park Service (NPS) and the Department of Energy joined forces this week to establish theManhattan Project National Historical Park. The two agencies will work together to preserve and interpret places and events associated with the atomic project including those inOak Ridge, Tennessee; Los Alamos, New Mexico; and Hanford, Washington.
The tale of the Manhattan Project is one ofscientific and engineering achievement, for sure, but it’s also a story of people and events. More than 6...
The healing power of parks
National parks are free today—Veterans Day!
Throughout the national park system there are dozens of parks with connections to wartime. Some are obvious, like Gettysburg National Military Park and the WWII Valor in the Pacific National Monument. Still others are not soevident but no less important—like Yosemite and even Dinosaur national parks.
National parklands have long been placesfor healing, for recovering from wartime—forveterans and civilians alike.While writing Prophets and Moguls, Ran...
November 10, 2015
The Southwest’s super-volcano!
Say “supervolcano” and “national park” and, naturally, “Yellowstone!” springs to mind. But there’s another remarkable crater in the national park system–Valles Caldera National Preserve in northern New Mexico.
The 89,000-acre site hasbeen a federal reserve for a long time butjust over a month ago the National Park Service took over its management. The 13-mile-wide depression is what remains of a cataclysmic volcanic eruption roughly 1.25 million years ago and it is one of the world’s largest...
